Day 220. March 14, 2014. Starry night

LOCATION:  Alpine, TX, about 80 miles north of Big Bend

WEATHER:  sunny. High about 70

We took advantage of the commercial RV park's amenities...did tons of laundry, luxurious showers, WIFI business, then George washed the Airstream and car in their RV wash area.

This  big rig pulled in next to us. Camper is in cab of the semi.  Motorcycle, bike, and sailboat in the back.  

We drove about 25 miles north to Fort Davis, where we are camping tonight.  We hiked and explored the area.  We are about 5300 feet up in the Davis Mountains.  

We bought tickets for the "Star Party" at the nearby Mc Donald Observatory.  It is part of Univ of Texas.  Unfortunately, when the outdoor show started (to view planets and stars), it clouded over.  We got a rain check, and left early.

DINNER:  Yummy tonight......I grilled big portabello mushrooms.  I stuffed them with a small amount of cooked hamburger, green onions, regular onions, mushroom stems, and garlic.  I microwaved with some Mexican cheese to melt the cheese, then served with tomato slices on toasted buns.  The recipe had called for Gouda, but the local grocery didn't have it, so I substituted this queso fresco.  It is similar to feta, but not salty.

Note....we are leaving for Big Bend tomorrow, and I don't think we will have internet for a few days. 

Day 219. March 13, 2014. Out of gas!!

LOCATION:  From Seminole Canyon State Park, we drove about 150 miles west.  Now about 80 miles north of Big Bend National Park in Texas

WEATHER:  Beautiful..sunny, high about 65

Our camper neighbors from San Francisco took this beautiful picture of our Airstream.  The night sky is beautiful here, since there are no city lights.

We packed up and drove west to Langtry.  There is a nice visitor center there showing the story of Judge Roy Bean, and the town's saloon.  Our goal today was to get closer to Big Bend.  Spring Break is creating issues....many of the campgrounds are full.

So, we were just trying to get farther west.  Our plan was to buy gas in Langtry.  This sign (out of gas) greeted us.  OH NO,!!!

It would have been $4.50/gallon for desperate drivers like us if they hadn't run out earlier this AM.    They told us our two options were to go back east (wrong direction) 30 miles to a town that might have gas, or 60 miles west (our direction).  We had enough gas to go 40 miles.  So, we decided to head west.  When we ran out of gas, we just pulled over.  Thankfully, we have a gas can.  George stuck out his thumb to hitch a ride to the next town, about 25 miles.  Immediately, an RV stopped.  Wouldn't you know.....kind Midwesterners from Wisconsin in an RV whose brand was aptly called Hitchhiker.  They drove him into town.  He said they were worried about leaving me.  It is supposed to be a dangerous area.....close to the border, lonely and desolate terrain. I had a good book, and I locked the doors, so was OK.    About an hour and a half later, George returned.  A super kind man, Sonny Sanchez, had picked up  George  at the gas station, and drove him the 25 miles back (50 miles round trip) even though he wasn't going in that direction.  

We planned to stay in Alpine, Texas.  We found a super nice commercial campground.  We unhooked and went into the cute town.  We went a really nice bar/restaurant called the Saddle Club.  We shared this bottle of prickly pear lager that was brewed locally, in Big Bend Brewery.

Here is the decor (steer's skull) over the bar called Social Irrigation. 

DINNER:  very basic....a can of spicy beans with some dried sausage we had bought at a smokehouse.

Day 218, March 12, 2014. Dinner guests!

LOCATION: Seminole Canyon State Park, halfway between San Antonio, TX and Big Bend, on Rio Grande

WEATHER:  Still windy.  Clear in PM.  High around 60

The winds during the night were as strong as predicted.  We swayed a little, but everything was ok.  We decided to stay another night, as it is still windy, and we don't like driving the Airstream in high winds.  George took advantage of their WIFI, and finished up our income taxes.

Then in the PM, we took a 10-mile, 5-hour hike around the rim of the canyon.  Breathtaking views!  We were dog tired, though, when we returned.  

The nice couple we had met yesterday from San Francisco are still here.  We shared a campfire with them.  We have the Day Use, overflow section, to ourselves.  As it was a bit cool to sit outside once the sun went down, we invited them to eat inside with us.  Our first dinner guests!  It was lovely.    

DINNER:  Nothing special.  I'm having to use some reserves, as there hasn't been an opportunity to buy groceries for a few days.  I made a pasta sauce with leftover pearl onions, diced up turkey ham, and a can of button mushrooms.  Served over some whole wheat pasta.  

Day 217. March 11, 2014. Rock art

LOCATION:  We drove about 50 miles west.  On Mexican border, between San Antonio and Big Bend, TX

WEATHER:  Foggy and cool in AM. Sunny and high of 80 in PM

Our plan was to camp at Seminole Canyon State Park, and enjoy their amenities....electricity, water, WIFI.  But, we arrived to find the campground already full.  There aren't other campgrounds around here, so we took them up on their offer to stay in the Day Use section.  This means no facilities.  We were, however, able to fill up our water tank in the main campground.  So, I was at least able to wash last night's dishes.  We were able to use the visitor center's bathroom.

We took a ranger-led hike into the canyon and saw the 4000-year-old rock art on the walls of a shelter.  Quite a hike back up.  

We met our neighbors, a lovely couple from San Francisco.  We watched the sunset together, then shared a campfire to cook dinner.

DINNER:  We ate the turkey/bean soup I had  made earlier, and finally the last of the mustard greens.  

The park ranger came around and gave us a weather advisory of 40-mph winds forecasted for tonight.  We hope we don't blow over the canyon wall!

Day 216. March 10, 2014. Desolate country, but cheap!

LOCATION:  We drove about 125 miles SW.  Now in Del Rio, on the Mexican border, about halfway between Big Bend and San Antonio, TX

WEATHER:  Cloudy, drizzling. High around 60

We drove through sparsely populated areas to Del Rio.  We are camping at Amistad (Friendship in Spanish) International Reservoir Recreation Area.  It is (was) a huge lake area shared by the 2 countries.  Our campground is supposed to be on the lake, but due to the drought, the shoreline is about a mile away.  The campground is run by the National Park Service, so everything is quite primitive.  We drove about 2 miles down a bumpy dirt/gravel road to the campground.  There are limited facilities....pit toilet, no water, no electricity.  BUT......it is only $2 per night!  

It seems very isolated.  We are the only campers here, out of about 40 sites.  

The Border Patrol people drove through, then later the Sheriff stopped by to check on us.  Gave us his card in case we needed anything.

We took a little hike, although I was afraid of rattlesnakes so we didn't go far.

Beautiful sunset, as we are on top of a ridge.

DINNER:  Since we don't have electricity or water, I didn't do too much.  George made a campfire, and I heated up the remaining turkey meat and added the leftover pappardelle.  The big bag of mustard greens doesn't seem to deplete.  So, we had them again, sautéed on the fire, then  I sprinkled on broth and wine.

Our refrigerator in the camper can be switched to propane, so we are able to keep food cold without electricity.  We also have an electric cooler that runs on electricity, when available.  We can also hook it up to car battery when we are driving.  It is so nice not buying ice, draining cooler, etc,  

I just piled the dirty dishes in the dishpan, and will deal with them tomorrow when we are somewhere with water.

Day 215. March 9, 2014. Mountain climbing

LOCATION: Another day at Garner State Park, about 80 miles W of San Antonio, TX

WEATHER:  Cloudy, some rain. High about 50

We heard that MN is warming up, so our temps might be about the same!  

We went on one of the campground's hikes.  We didn't realize the trail would be so steep.  We had to crawl over rocks on parts of the trail.  Going down was kind of scary.  At least it was a good way to warm up. It took 2 1/2 hours!

We drove into town to go to a bar where we had a free drink coupon.  It said it was closed for a private party.  It, too, has a beer drive-through. So, we drove into the beer barn, and asked about going inside.   They said they were having a wedding reception, but we could come in until the people arrived.  It was set up nicely, with sort of a a cowboy theme.  I spoke with the caterers when they arrived....were serving steaks.

In the PM, I made turkey soup with the leftover turkey thigh, vegetables, and some interesting dried beans I had bought at Whole Foods a few weeks ago.  Good way to spend a cool, rainy Sunday afternoon.

DINNER: I thawed some cheese-filled tortellini from last week.  I was able to fit the small container in my tiny freezer.  George made salsa with an avocado and tomatillo which we had with carrot sticks for an appetizer.  I added mushrooms and veg to the tortellini, with some pasta sauce.

Day 214. March 8, 2014. Spring Break in a Texas

LOCATION :  Garner State Park, about 80 miles W of San Antonio, TX

WEATHER:  Dreary, rainy, high around 50

This is our first experience with Spring Breakers. Generally, our campgrounds have been out-of-state old people like us in their big RVs, and generally less than half-filled.  This weekend, however, is quite different.  We are the only non-Texas camper.  Most are weekenders, including college Texans, and most are in tents.  We heard that every site is filled.  A lot noisier and much more cluttered.

We are in a type of canyon.  We took a 2-hour hike with the ranger on a grueling trail.  Good exercise.  Then, since it was rainy and cold, we drove into the little town.  We stopped at this food truck that had been a camper.

Then, we went to a drive-through "beer barn" to buy a beer for lunch.

We took the beer back to the food truck and had a little picnic.

We drove around some mountain roads, stopping in little towns.  One has  a smokehouse where we bought yummy sausage and jerky.

Our Saturday evening ritual is to listen to Prairie Home Companion.  We don't have radio reception, but luckily could pick it up on the iPad.  

DINNER:  Since it is cold, we wanted done hearty food.  I made "Cheesy Mushroom Pappardelle" with the pappardelle pasta I had found at Whole Foods when we visited San Antonio.  It was creamy and delicious.  With it, I served mustard greens.  The package is huge.  I sautéed them in garlic, then added some broth.  The recipe called for vinegar, but since I didn't gave any, I substituted a bit of pickle juice.  Did the trick.

After dinner, we walked to the pavilion where they had a dance.  Fun!